A pet owner looks at her dog. Photo: VCG
Beginning Tuesday, China launched a pilot high-speed railway pet consignment service on selected Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail routes.
The China Railway Group Co. announced in a post on its official Weibo account that starting Tuesday, selected railways on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line will pilot a pet transport service, with a dedicated pet consignment feature added to its online platform.
After professional testing and evaluation, the pilot service will operate on 10 railways between five stations involving Beijing, Jinan, East China's Shandong Province, Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province – along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line, according to the post.
Passengers can book online at least two days in advance to transport one healthy domesticated cat or dog per person, provided it weighs under 15 kilograms and stands no taller than 40 centimeters at the shoulder, according to China Railway Group Co.
The high-speed railway pet consignment service adopts management model featuring isolated transport, separation of pets from passengers, and dedicated caretakers, according to the post.
The service will use specially designed equipment for separated transportation, employing an in-house pet transport containers featuring air circulation, oxygen level and humidity monitoring, noise reduction, and odor removal functions. Pets will remain in these containers throughout the journey, stored in dedicated high-speed railway cabinets.
Each railway will allocate one set of cabinets specifically for pet containers, according to the China Railway Group Co. Staff will not open containers during transit to ensure safety, and they will conduct inspections at least once every two hours. Water may be replenished, but no food is provided, and owners cannot access pets during the journey. After transport, containers and cabinets are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
The pilot service follows the rule of synchronized departure and arrival for owners and pets. Passengers can check eligible railways through the official app, purchase tickets two days or more in advance, and book accompanying pet transport simultaneously. Passengers with reservations must present a valid animal quarantine certificate at check-in, the China Railway Group Co. noted in the post.
Pricing follows a tiered system based on distance, currently offering a 30 percent discount during the initial phase along with basic insurance coverage up to 2,000 yuan.
A staff member from the China Railway Group Co. told the Global Times on Tuesday that there is a significant number of travelers inquiring about the service. “The railway authority will consider expanding it to more cities depending on how the pilot program performs,” the staff member said.
The introduction of high-speed railway pet consignment services has sparked discussions among pet owners.
A pet owner surnamed Wu from Shanghai said she plans to use the service during the May Day holidays. “It's cheaper than air travel, and I don't have to worry about my kitten struggling with turbulence. It's really convenient,” she said, adding that the service eases her anxiety about leaving her pet behind. Other netizens also voiced hopes that the service will expand to more cities.
Meanwhile, some pet-owning travelers take a wait-and-see attitude. Xu from Changsha, Central China's Hunan Province, worries that her kitten might not adjust to unfamiliar environments, and she will feel anxious about being unable to monitor her pet in real time. Xu also noted that the current service guidelines do not clearly specify on liability issues, such as detailed compensation in the event of injury during transit.
“I'll decide after observing consumer experiences once the service has been operational for some time,” said Xu.
